


A Screw Up of a Father

by Comicfan



Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, Fatherhood, Gen, Teen Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-04-27 11:57:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14424918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Comicfan/pseuds/Comicfan
Summary: Willis hadn't planned on becoming a dad, certainty not so young, and is suddenly hit hard by the burden of fatherhood.





	A Screw Up of a Father

**Author's Note:**

> According to RHATO #0 Willis has about six (I think) siblings and seems to be one of the youngest. His mom is also seen with a black eye suggesting his dad was abusive. I'm guessing at some details like foster care given this upbringing.
> 
> I'm making the identity of Jason's mom vague since canon isn't making this easy at the moment. Catherine as the mom in the new 52 canon but Jason looking for his birth mother was mentioned in Rebirth. Which is why it might seem like Willis is making all the choices. He's not but it's his POV of the situation. Since Catherine/Willis were teens in the new 52 version Jason's parents are teens here.
> 
> Abortion is mentioned mostly because it was heavily implied Shelia did illegal abortions which resulted in the death of a teen. I think that if she isn't the mother she'd probably be the person Jason's parents would talk to about potentially getting one.

Many would claim Willis should have known better. He had come from a big family of siblings fighting to survive while their dear old man used their mom like a punching bag for little to no reason. Willis had known having kids wasn't usually a blessing for those living in Crime Alley. They had thought they had been careful...

Not long after they had learned about the pregnancy abortion had been discussed. Giving up the baby hadn't been an option in his eyes. He had been put in foster care several times and it had been a nightmarish experience he won't wish on anyone. Since Willis rarely ever trusted another soul giving the baby to anyone much less a stranger was the worst case scenario. The statistics were on his side even if the people of Gotham wished to pretend otherwise.

Abortion options had become extremely hard to come by over the years. There wasn't any place in Gotham that legally allowed the procedure. The closest facility was in another state which they couldn't afford to go to even if they pooled their funds together. What limited choices they had made the situation even bleaker. Willis had known girls who were desperate enough to get rid of the pregnancy and a couple that tried to solve it themselves. Now they were cautionary tales told to other girls and shamed by boys for being "reckless." There were back alley operations and while they had a connection it still was a risky thing to do. 

If it was him carrying the baby Willis knew he wouldn't trust any unlicensed person. Then again it was still early into the pregnancy and they weren't quite at the panicking stage yet. They had talked about being a family and yeah he had been drawn into the idea a little. It mostly seemed like an unattainable fairy tale but a small part of him liked to imagine it was a simple solution. None of their choices really sounded appealing when he thought about it. Adoption meant trusting in a system that had always screwed him over. Abortion meant trusting in shady medical people with his girlfriend's health. Raising the baby together was still scary but at least they'd have _some_ control.

Months later and there still isn't an easy answer to everything.

He's a kid himself and Willis has no idea how to be a father. Their too young for this and everyone one knows it. They always see the superior holier-than thou lot turn their noses up at them. Whispers of them being stupid are common. His girl gets all of the slut shaming while Willis gets more snide comments on living up to the standards of his social class. A few smirk asking if he'll follow in his parents footsteps by having too many brats to look after. Willis could argue about the broken system but he knows no one listens or cares. Breaking teeth is far more satisfying anyway and if it slows someone else down enough to get caught by the cops...? Well Willis supposes it's just karma that the timing worked out like that. Getting a bigger share of the profits will help his own situation a little more. 

When she gets bigger she complains that Willis doesn't find her desirable anymore. It makes him pissy after he just spent all day and night risking his ass to make money. He doesn't feel like spending an hour to ease her self image or initiating sex. There are arguments but he never knows the right thing to say. The pregnancy has messed with her hormones to the point he doesn't know how to respond anymore. Not that he's much better when it comes to being moody. There are countless days when he's tired, stressed and snappy. The family life hasn't been fun and he already started having serious doubts.

Some guys he knows tell Willis to split already. They think it's her fault for trapping him and blame her for not getting rid of the baby. Everyone in Crime Alley knew the risks involved if she did but a few of his friends still label her selfish and needy. It's tempting to give up but part of him is stubborn and wants to see it through.

The birth only highlights how out of his depth Willis is. When he's holding the baby he discovers it's a boy. For a minute all he can do it stare in helpless terrified wonder. It's such a tiny little helpless pink thing, it has his jet black hair and wiggled in his arms. There are other teens in their situation that put their babies in dumpsters. A few are found in time but they get put into orphanages and foster care. There aren't any happy endings in Willis' experience. It's just one unending cycle that no one in power attempts to change. The infant cries and Willis can't help wondering if he's hurting the newborn. It's-- ** _he's_** \--so weak, fragile in every sense of the word. Now that it's occurred to him Willis can't stop thinking about it. _Anything_ can happen to the baby, the child is vulnerable to nearly everything. His son--and that's a phrase that he just can't fully comprehend yet--his son can't protect himself. The pink wiggling baby can't even lift his head.

The mere existence of such a life form is utterly baffling. It's more frightening than all the wackos Willis has encountered. They showed him how to hold his son but Willis doesn't think he's doing it right. He knows that he can't swaddle with the blanket no matter how much he tries. Swaddling is supposed to relax the newborn, it's done wrong if it's too tight or loose. The tiny fist colliding with his face informs him that it's too loose.

His son is named Jason Peter Todd. A friend asked if they were going to name their baby after Willis, either as his first or middle name. Willis isn't fond of that idea and declines without explaining why. If anyone asked he'd likely shrug it off as not wanting his kid to suffer though more repetitive "Whacha talking about Willis?" jokes. Which is reason enough since it's beyond annoying at this point. He's just never been a fan of naming a kid after his old man. It's more of an anchor to tie the generations together instead of letting the child be their own person. At least in Willis' eyes at any rate.

The same friend claimed Jason looked like him and he just can't see it. Not that Willis doesn't believe Jason is his, it's just the cliché people say that he has issue with. Newborns don't have many striking features that can be linked to their parents. Jason does have his jet black hair but nothing else Willis can see. His girl thinks their boy will grow as big as his dad. When she asks what he thinks he nods like he can picture it. He can't, Jason is too tiny for him to imagine as a tall teen like himself. It's hard enough to get past the idea that they created this new life.

Jason was already tired despite not being in the world for long and yawns. The impossibly small chest rose and fell. They haven't even taken their son back to their place yet and Willis already feels overwhelmed. Part of him is mad that she's asleep and he's expected to know what to do. What if he fell asleep and dropped the baby?

Willis believes in realism, he did the math and knows how much a baby costs. It's more than they can afford and the only way they can do it is by stealing and foregoing frivolous items. Somewhere on the floor was one of Jason's booties he somehow managed to kick off. Mentally he knows he'll be searching for it later because his clothing "shopping spree" won't be for awhile. They can't afford to lose anything. Their little family might not have much but they need every scrap they have to get by.

When they finally get home there no nursery to speak of just a makeshift area on the side of one room. They weren't able to get much from charities and it's a pretty pathetic sight. His girl knows this yet her idle plans to invite people over to see their kid halt at a glance. Willis knows she's disappointed but he warned her beforehand. He told her it had been a struggle to find anything good when it was secondhand. After a few futile attempts to start conversation they spend the rest of the day in silence save for the noises their new baby boy makes.

When Jason starts to cry they both fumble to figure out what their kid needs. Not a changing, he won't feed and he cries harder when she tries to make him burp. That's when they start to argue more and Jason stops crying before they end their fight. Not because his needs have been satisfied, the baby is simply too tired to go on. Willis takes a walk to clear his head furious that she's blaming him when she's not doing any better with their son. The first thing he notices upon his return is the smell announcing another dirty diaper.

Wordlessly Willis took the baby and cast her a dark look. Whether it's earned doesn't matter at the moment. The frustration has been building for a while, he can tell it's only going to get worse. Only the argument doesn't start this time, it never has the chance to when a sudden noise drew the new parents attention. Jason makes cooing sounds as he stretches his chubby hands up towards his dad. It's the calm in the storm, Willis knows things can only get worse but for the moment he let's himself feel happy. Willis had to deal with the results of an unplanned pregnancy, as usual he had to play the cards he was dealt. There would be many failures to come in his fatherhood partly due to his own fears. His own upbringing had screwed him up in ways he doubted he'd ever overcome. His own failure was pretty much guaranteed especially since Willis knew such an innocent as his son could never hope to survive unless he toughened up.

Work was going to take Willis away from them the next day. In truth he didn't know when he'd see them again. He would pass out on one of his friend's couches then find ways to earn a living the best he could. There was no way Willis could earn a honest living. He had been barred because of his criminal record and lacked the needed education because he needed to eat. He refused to go back into social services and had been on the run for years. That was how it worked in Gotham city and no one on top wanted it to change. That was the sort of life Jason had to look forward to and it sickened Willis to realize there was no escaping it.

**Author's Note:**

> Lobdell will probably tell a different story about Willis but I wanted to write something about him. This is kind of a more sympathetic take. I wanted to make him more human since he did seem to care about Jason in the annual flashback and in the letters.


End file.
